Q: How important is branding to the application process?
A: It's interesting how often the business of education is a marketing exercise. Consider the Board of Trustees that advertises for talented faculty. Accordingly, the best and brightest spruce up their curricular vitae with the amazingly interesting and impressive work they've done. The lucky few who are invited to interview have the rare opportunity to "sell" themselves to the decision makers who must assess how each professor candidate fits into the academic community and whether they possess the caliber the school is looking for in its professors. In simple terms, the question is whether the professor's brand (who they are, their values, work, activities and awards) "fits" with the school's brand.

Applying to business school is no different. Developing your personal brand is critical. Business school or not, we believe that building your brand is a clear path to achieving your goals and living your passion. And those who have a clear sense of their personal brand often emerge the most successful from the application process.

From the perspective of the admissions application, picture this: A team of talented, dedicated staff (Board) receives marching orders to identify smart, talented individuals with excellent leadership potential and track records. They're limited to a finite number of admissions, which is further complicated by an application pool that's full of talented individuals who have achieved significant levels of success in different arenas. Additionally, the schools have been directed to look for diverse perspectives (i.e., industry, country of origin, talents, gender, ethnicity, personal and professional experiences) and maintain a clear balance to ensure the class is not skewed to any one particular profile.

Given the reality painted above and the thousands of rejections (top MBA programs accept only 10-20% of the applicants), developing your personal brand is vital to a positive admission decision. Invest the time for introspection, examine your personal passions, values, goals and career path and connect the various elements in a consistent, compelling and credible way. You'll develop a clear picture of who you are that differentiates you in a competitive applicant pool.

Q: How important is the GMAT?
A: The GMAT is a valuable element of the admissions process and, thus, requires adequate preparation. As a rule of thumb, we recommend you allow at least two months to prepare for your GMAT. You can assess your readiness by taking an online practice test. (Take the test spring/summer for "round one" fall deadlines.) If your score is below 650, consider taking a prep course, such as those offered by Princeton Review ( www.princetonreview.com/mba/testprep/) or Kaplan (www.kaptest.com). If one-on-one coaching is more effective for you, or if you've taken a prep course and your scores haven't improved sufficiently, consider retaining a personal GMAT tutor who can tailor studies to your specific needs.

It's worth noting that, although schools may claim they don't have a GMAT cutoff, we know from experience that you can't get in with a GMAT score of 350. Conversely, a perfect score of 800 alone will not guarantee your admission. The reality is that admissions criteria are much broader than the GMAT and schools like Harvard and Wharton can fill their classes more than twice over with students whose GMAT scores are 700 and above. A safe gauge is to find out the school's median score and ensure your score is in that range.

Q: What can I do if my GPA is low?
A: Your objective is to demonstrate your capacity for handling the rigorous academic curriculum of a top business school. While you can't turn back the clock, you can focus on those elements you have control over going forward. Take at least two quantitative classes (i.e., finance, economics, statistics, accounting) and ace them. This additional data point will help build the confidence of the Admissions Board in your ability to deal with academic challenges. That's critical, as is your GMAT. A low GMAT combined with a low GPA will send a negative message about your academic capacity. Therefore, it's important that you take the necessary steps to do well on the GMAT, because a very strong GMAT score can, to some extent, lessen the damage of a weak GPA. In addition, if your work experience is highly analytical and quantitative, it helps to build a case for your intellectual ability and gives the Board confidence that you can tackle an academically rigorous environment.

Q: When should I apply and how much time do I need to prepare?
A: Deciding when to go to business school is a personal choice based on your individual motivations. Thus, only you can decide the ideal time for you. It's important that you're taking this step only after careful introspection and "on the rise," with a track record that can evidence your leadership experience and impact. In another words, it's not a step to be taken too late in the game as a "quick fix." At the same time, applying before you've gained meaningful personal and professional experience can be problematic as well. It makes it difficult to define a meaningful personal brand. Once you do make the decision to apply, give yourself a full year to research schools, develop your personal brand, plan your strategy, obtain solid recommendations, take the GMAT and, finally, write compelling essays to gain a winning edge.

Q: What's the most important aspect of the application process?
A: There is no one single piece of the process that will cinch your application. Each aspect of the application is an important piece of data that, when taken together, conveys a well-composed snapshot of who you are. Your best strategy is to focus on putting together the most compelling, consistent and credible overall picture. With that said, conducting due diligence on the school is also very important in gaining a clear understanding of what they value (their brand) and how to best position your personally branded application.

Q: How does the Board view recommendations?
A: The recommendations you obtain for your application are extremely significant to the Board because they provide both a third-party endorsement of you that increases your credibility as well as a valuable perspective on your leadership and management potential. Understand that the main purpose of the recommendations is to authenticate your story, rather than cast doubts upon it. Therefore, it's critical that you select people who know you well, such as a direct supervisor who is familiar with your work and can attest to your ability to operate in a team environment and perform in a professional arena. And, while it may be tempting to garner a recommendation from a senior executive, their title alone will hold no value for the Board. If they can't speak knowledgeably about your performance, you're missing an opportunity to validate your value and support your personal brand. Likewise, avoid choosing a friend, family member or peer (unless explicitly required to use a peer as is the case with Stanford). Bottom line: pay close attention to your recommendations. You can be certain the Board will.

Q: What's the best approach to writing "winning" essays?
A: The essays are an extraordinary opportunity to bring your personal voice to the application process. They tell the Board who you are and, more importantly, what's important to you and why you've made the choices that you've made in your life. We recommend that you give yourself plenty of time to ensure each of your essays reflect what we call the "P.I.I.G. Factor." Simply put, successful essays have these key ingredients:

Passion
This is your showcase for explaining what you're passionate about and why, as well as to explain the goals that drive you and how you plan to achieve them.

Insight
Self-awareness is huge. Tell what you've accomplished and detail your motivators.

Impact
Given the competition you'll be up against, it's critical to differentiate yourself by illustrating how you've impacted others in your organization. Be specific about benefits of a change you produced, a solution you created or a new program you enacted.

Guts
Initiative is critical and you want to provide evidence of your willingness to take risks, determination to beat the odds, drive to push yourself beyond ordinary limits and your ability to start a new program or business.

Finally, it's not uncommon to be tempted to adopt the story of an acquaintance whose essays were successfully received. But someone else's story is just that and it's one strategy that's sure to backfire. Your essays must reflect who you are and align with what your chosen school is looking for. Moreover, adopting another person's story deprives you of the opportunity to present a compelling case comprising your passions, your value and your authenticity as a unique person.

Q: Are the interviews a required part of the application?
A: It depends on the school. Most MBA programs require an interview as part of the application process. But regardless of whether it's required by the school, we recommend requesting one because it gives you another opportunity to provide the admissions board with an additional data point of who you are. It also allows you to take a closer look at the school.

Some schools including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton and Columbia offer interviews on an invitation basis. Programs like Tuck, Chicago and Kellogg have a flexible interview process that allows candidates to request an interview.

Q: How important is the interview in the application process?
A: Approach the application process with the perspective that every aspect is important, the interview included. The interview gives the Admissions Board another opportunity to learn more about you. And, whether you're interviewing with a current student, an alumni or a board member, you absolutely want to go into that interview as prepared as possible. That means having conducted thorough research about the school, knowing the qualities they're looking for in candidates and possessing a clear rationale of why you want to apply to their particular program. You should also review your entire application. Be clear on why you want an MBA. Refresh your memory of the themes you covered in your application, along with your overall personal branding statement of why the program is a fit for you and what your contribution will be.

In addition, be clear on your "P.I.I.G. Factor":
- Passion: Know your short/long term goals and what you're passionate about;
- Insight: Understand your motivations and why you've made the decisions you've made;
- Impact: Be ready to discuss how you've made a measurable impact personally and professionally;
- Guts: Be ready to talk about professional situations where you have demonstrated initiative to start something, improve a team or help change someone's life.

Q: Is the application process different for international candidates?
A: International candidates go through the same application process as U.S. citizens and permanent residents with the exception of the Test of English Fluency (TOEFL) exam. International students whose education was from a non-U.S. university or where English was not the medium of instruction are required to take the TOEFL to demonstrate that they have the language proficiency to handle the MBA curriculum. Most programs require a minimum TOEFL score of 253. (Contact the specific program[s] to determine their exact requirements.)

Q: Is there an admission quota for international candidates?
A: First and foremost, admissions quotas are illegal. Business schools do not have an admission quota. Moreover, the global nature of the business world reflects the continued interest in attracting a diverse class that is made up of individuals from different industries, cultures and countries. Most top MBA programs have an international population that's between 25-35%. The diversity of perspectives offered by the international students contributes richly to the programs' dynamic and vibrant community.

Q: What advice do you have for international candidates?
A: A slow economy combined with 9-11 has contributed to cutbacks on the number of student visas being issued. For international students applying to business school, the most important advice is to apply round one, round two at the latest, to ensure that they give themselves more time to secure the appropriate documentation for an F-1 visa.

On the application front, be aware that schools are interested in who you are as a complete individual and not just your GMAT/GPA index. Unlike the educational systems of certain countries where admissions to elite schools are based primarily on entrance exam scores, U.S. business schools are looking for exceptional individuals who are not only smart, but also possess leadership and management potential, along with a proven track record and solid interpersonal skills.

Q: What should I do if I've been rejected and plan to reapply to the same program(s)?
A: First, take a step back and reassess where there were gaps or weaknesses to your story. Was your goal less than clearly defined or inconsistent with the rest of your application? What about your GMAT and GPA? Were they below the range of admitted candidates? Is your profile and "story" not a fit for the program?

Some schools offer feedback to rejected candidates during the summer. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to learn how the Board viewed your application. If the school doesn't offer personal feedback, have someone you trust (a mentor, colleague, student or alumni from the school) examine your application and provide feedback as well as suggest opportunities for further development/improvements.

After completely reviewing your application, decide whether you will reapply in the future. Depending on the key obstacles you need to overcome before re-applying, you may consider one of the following actions: select different programs that are a better fit for your background and interest; use the next year or two to build your professional experience in order to gain effective management experience and demonstrate stronger leadership skills; take quantitative courses and ace them to demonstrate academic rigor; take a GMAT prep course or hire a GMAT tutor to study for the test and improve your score; get involved in extracurricular activities where you are able to invest in your community and develop a track record creating or contributing to organizations in a meaningful way.

Q: What are my chances of gaining admission after being rejected?
A: Evidence shows that re-applicants do get into top programs the second time around and, at the same time, may also receive another rejection. It depends, in part, on the reason why you didn't get in the first time. In addition, the pool of each MBA program changes from year to year, making it difficult to compare like admissibility factors. Therefore, it's virtually impossible to put a percentage on your chances. It's like comparing apples to oranges.

While many programs encourage re-application, this invitation shouldn't be interpreted as a sign that your chances are automatically improved. But your chances aren't lower because you're applying a second time either. The important thing is to learn from any mistakes made the first time and communicate what's different and compelling about your application this time.